There’s no going back to life before HDTV. Just like there’s no going back to black and white or using a pair of bent-up rabbit ears (antennas) for snowy reception. Once you know how good something can be, settling for less is borderline painful. This is why I no longer sample gas station sushi, drink instant coffee, consider the so-called benefits of soy “bacon,” or watch the Three Stooges without Curly. Sure, there’s something to be said for doing the best with the materials on hand, but I’ve never found the subpar to be sublime.

With this in mind, one might wonder why I haven’t upgraded my HDTVs in a while. In the eight years since I bought them, surely technology has improved the experience severalfold — wouldn’t I want better than what I already have?